Magnavox Odyssey
Magnavox released the first video game console, the Odyssey, in September 1972, predating the Pong machines by three years. However, the games were all included on the circuitry; the cartridges were nothing more than a series of jumpers to select the game. When the Fairchild Channel F and the Atari 2600 released in 1976 and 1977 respectively, which both featured programmable ROM cartridges, Magnavox responded with the Odyssey2 (also known as the Philips Videopac G7000 or the Philips Odyssey). While inferior graphically and with a smaller library than it’s competitors, the Odyssey2 managed to last until the crash of 1983. Sales of the console were hurt by poor marketing by Magnavox retail stores, in addition to many consumers being led to believe that the Odyssey would work only on Magnavox televisions. For that reason, most later "Pong" games had an explanation on their box saying "Works on any television set, black and white or color". The Odyssey brought the arcade experience into the home and helped pave the way for the next generation of home video games such as the 1970s icon Pong. It demonstrated that the home console system would work and that there was a viable market. Technical specifications Ralph Baer, often considered the "father of video games" designed the Odyssey. Magnavox released it in the fall of 1972, but Baer had already created a functional prototype a few years earlier. The game console looks similar to today's games, but its functions were not. To play a game, one inserted a circuit card (similar to a game cartridge) into the console. The card did not contain the actual game program, though. Rather, it altered the signal path in the machine to change the light output coming through the television screen. Depending on the game, the light, which showed through the overlay, could be a race car, a baseball, a hockey puck, etc. Different games could be played on the same circuit card by simply changing the acetate television screen overlay, which simulated background color graphics, and by using a different set of accompanying accessories: game boards and pieces, scorecards, chips, maps, etc. In reality, games were mostly played with the accessories instead of the simple graphics on the screen. In that way the Odyssey was very similar to traditional board games. The Odyssey and its later versions did not have sound capability. The Odyssey originally included twelve games, with eleven more games and a shooting gun attachment marketed shortly thereafter. Sales were solid but the Odyssey was not a major hit. A major reason was that some consumers believed that the Odyssey only worked with Magnavox televisions, which was not the case. Production ceased in 1975 after 350,000 systems were sold. Power: The system uses 6 batteries (original batteries were branded Eveready) or AC. Identification The model, serial and RUN numbers are written on the under side of the unit. The RUN number stands for the production run, the US model is either 1TL200BLAK, 1TL200BK12 or 1TL200BL99. Only specimens sent back to Magnavox to have the warranty renewed had their model updated to 1TL200BL99 (the original BLAK serial, if sticked inside the unit, was left, and the new serial was sticked over the original under the unit). Serial numbers start from 06xxxxxx to 11xxxxxx although the 0 was not printed. All of these models differ by small electronic changes, and sometimes with minor variations of game accessories To identify the exact date of production follow this guide HERE. Dedicated Odysseys If Atari started to sell a whole range of PONG systems in 1975, Magnavox (the originator of home video game systems) also started a new range of systems in 1975, the first of which was a much simpler version of the 1972 Odyssey: the Odyssey 100. More models followed shortly. Games The released cartridges and their games. All games came with two overlays. #Table Tennis #Ski ,Simon Says, Fun Zoo, Percepts #Tennis, Analogic, Baseball, Hockey, Football (Passing and Kicking), Soccer (1) #Cat and Mouse, Football (running), Haunted House, Invasion (1) #Submarine, Invasion (2), Soccer (2), Wipeout #Roulette, States, Invasion (3) #Volleyball #Basketball, Handball #Shootout, Dogfight, Prehistoric Safari #Shooting Gallery #It was originally planned for the Basketball game. For unknown reasons, Magnavox dropped the cartridge and used cartridge #8 instead. #Interplanetary Voyage *In addition to the 12 games provided with the Odyssey, customers could purchase extra games, although only ten extra games were released. Each game box has a reference starting with 982329 and followed by a number between 1 and 15. Because each box has a unique number, it is believed that 15 boxes were planned. Boxes referenced 982329-8 to 982329-12 are still unknown, and could have been reserved for games planned but never released. *The export version of the Odyssey contained a SOCCER game, which replaced the FOOTBALL game provided with US Odyssey consoles. It is not known whether this game was sold separately in the USA, though no specimens were found outside of export Odyssey consoles. WebLinks * Magnavox - Odyssey Statistic Price Info's at AuctionPriceTracker in English * Magnavox - Odyssey Statistic Price Info's at AuctionPriceTracker in German * Magnavox - Odyssey Statistic Price Info's at AuctionPriceTracker in Italian Category:Console Category:First generation